Newcastle Falcons sign twins Callum and Connor Hancock on one-year deal

Newcastle Falcons have announced that identical twin props Callum and Connor Hancock will be joining the senior academy squads on one-year deals.

The twins grew up in Sheffield and honed their rugby skills at Dinnington RFC during their youth. They later attended Bishop Burton College and were part of Yorkshire’s academy before pursuing higher education at Leeds Beckett University.

Both Callum, who plays as a tight-head, and Connor, who plays as a loose-head, have become familiar faces to the Falcons, having spent a significant portion of last summer's pre-season training with the team. They have also been called up for training sessions during the current season.

As they prepare to complete their studies at Leeds Beckett University this summer, where they've represented the institution in BUCS Super Rugby, the twins will be joining forces with Falcons hooker Ollie Fletcher and scrum-half Max Pepper to represent England Students. This Saturday, they will be competing against France Universities in Coventry.

“It’s great having Callum and Connor on board," said Newcastle Falcons’ head of academy James Ponton.

“They did most of pre-season with us last summer, they got very involved from a team point of view and the lads here really took to them. They’re a couple of characters, they’re very hard working and they got stuck into everything we did.

"We always knew they had another year at university but we were keen to get them back in at the end of that, and let’s see where we can take them.

“They’re both big lads. They’ve got a lot of work ahead of them to make that step up into being a fully professional player, but they’ve got the attitude and the ability to do it.

"They’re part of a good propping group with some of the slightly younger lads we have in the senior academy as well, and they will all drive each other on.”